Old guys watching their left hands

[sleddogn]

I always point my neck towards the hottest girl, then get to "eye" them both

 

[LBS-bass]

If I didn’t stare at the fingerboard, I’d go back to staring at my microphone when I sing.

Did that for years. Cross eyed is a look.

 

[Appogee]

I am guided by the philosophy of eminent bassist Friedrich Nietzsche, who once said:

“When you stare at the fretboard, the fretboard stares back.”

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Balance. It's about balance. On double bass, you have physical landmarks and tactile reminders of where you are, in addition to your ears. On electric bass -particularly fretless - it's a wide open freeway with few physical landmarks. While you should not STARE at the neck, occasionally you have to look to ensure you make a position shift properly and accurately. Sometimes, if you can't hear yourself on stage, a visual reference is sometimes the only thing you have to go on to guide you as a tactile/visual replacement for being able to hear well. Music can and does involve ALL of the senses at times.

You should know the tunes and your instrument well enough to where you shouldn't have to stare constantly at the neck... but I'm firmly against the absolutist notion that looking at the neck at all makes you a 'bad musician.' The end goal is to be solid, be accurate, and to present the music in the best way possible. If that means sneaking a peek at the neck to do it, so be it.

What sort of landmarks does a double bass have? I've never played one

 

[Nashrakh]

Speaking of upright. Re: my last post concerning staring at the finger board -- ironically, I do not do this when playing upright. I could play all night without looking once. On electric, it's a habit that's hard to break.

 

[RoadieP]

I'm becoming an older guy. I look down at my hand plenty. I don't give 2 ships or a frack what anyone thinks about it. Good day

 

[Andy Marshman]

not an excuse...people are not usually focused on the bass player. Unless you're a vocalist too, you're likely back beside the drummer and nobody notices or likely cares if you spend a lot of time watching the fingerboard.
I'm as guilty as the next person on this so I make an effort to make eye contact with the audience. I'm rarely hitting the wrong fret when I'm not looking, so I'm working on this.

 

[Steve Dallman]

You have to look somewhere, or close your eyes. Look around the room, look around the congregation, look at other band members, look at the floor, walls, ceiling. Who cares?

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

A lot of young guitarists do too…
View attachment 5103293

I miss the heck outta Atoz.

 

[jerry]

I think you should do it more. In these pictures I posted, the bright blue tuner on my headstock is there as an homage to all of those here who tell me what I should and should not do. I have seen some stellar players breaking all the Talkbass rules so I think it's good to get in front of this and do it as often as possible.

Sometimes asking for advice given at Talkbass is like John Cusack's character in Say Anything asking for advice on love from the guys hanging around a 7Eleven parking lot.

 

[Danny O Danny]

Just curious, does Joe Dart qualify as an "old guy"? Cuz he sure does look at his left hand a lot. Or is it only egregious when "old guys" do it?

FWIW, when I was a "young guy" I was in a band that had a manager who drilled into us the importance of showmanship (how we dressed, how we moved onstage, not having "dead air" between songs, keeping the stage tidy, speaking in a professional manner on and off stage, making eye contact with the audience, etc.) and he would harp on us if we stared at our guitar/bass necks too much. That stuff has stayed with me, so I do move about on stage and make eye contact with the audience, etc., but I also think there can be a healthy balance. A lead guitarist looking at his/her left hand while shredding, or a bassist doing so while grooving can actually be pretty engaging (as Mr. Dart exemplifies). And some musicians are more extroverted (or introverted) than others. But I do wonder about the seeming ageism in the OP in regards to "old guys."

 

[SteveCS]

...
And some musicians are more extroverted (or introverted) than others. But I do wonder about the seeming ageism in the OP in regards to "old guys."

Even if one is looking at the fingerboard, I think the rest of the body language will betray the reasons for that. If it is because you really won't make the next note if you glance away, that will show. It will also show if, as in the case with Mr. Dart and Msrrs Palladino, King, Levin, etc, there are no such problems and one is simply immersed in the music and having a momentary sneak-peek:
Link Removed

 

[Steve Dallman]

Ever watch Stevie Ray Vaughan?

 

[Don Hergert]

I used to watch my fingerboard all the time, until a dear friend lost his sight due to diabetes and had to stop playing. At that point I decided I had to be able to play without watching.

I figured I can type without watching, I should also be able to play without watching. Within a few months I was doing so. I will still glance at the left hand every once in a while, but instead of copiously watching my fingerboard now I watch for band mates' and jam mates' body language. This makes for much more cohesive group music playing.

 

[JRA]

here's mine: without any shame or self-consciousness, i look at whatever body part is doing the most work ATM.

 

[MarshallAC50Stack]

What sort of landmarks does a double bass have? I've never played one

Crook of the neck is a big one!

 

[MarshallAC50Stack]

Here's the old man as a kid staring at his left hand:

 

[Jeff Scott]

Here's the old man as a kid staring at his left hand:
View attachment 5107330

Hs it gotten any better, since?

 

[MarshallAC50Stack]

My eyesight isn’t what it used to be.

 

[SteveCS]

I suppose sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, and it seems that age has little to do with it:
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